Mozambique

Canadian passport holders need no tourist visa for stays up to 30 days, but they do need an electronic travel authorisation obtained at least 48 hours before flying, through the official government portal. Bring a passport valid six months beyond your return, a return ticket and proof of accommodation, and keep the arrival receipt: it is what proves the exemption. Other nationalities differ, and we confirm yours in writing before you book.

May to November is the dry season on the coast and the stretch we build around. Humpback whales pass between June and November, with August and September at the peak. Whale sharks and manta rays are off Inhambane all year, in numbers that follow the plankton rather than the calendar. Nobody can promise you an animal, and we would rather say so now than afterwards.

This is a coastal road journey: Maputo, then Chidenguele, Xai-Xai, Zavora, Inhambane and Vilanculos, each a few hours further north. Expect several half-days in the vehicle, broken by stops worth making. If you would rather not drive the whole coast, tell us and we look at flying one leg instead.

Yes, the whole coast is, and prevention is normally advised. Speak to a travel health professional about six weeks before departure. A yellow fever certificate is required only if you arrive from or transit through a country where yellow fever occurs.

Portuguese, and not much English outside Maputo and the lodges, which is part of why you travel with someone on the ground. The currency is the metical; cards work in Maputo and at the larger lodges, and cash matters everywhere else.